Training Notes and News

Completing your first solo flight is a special memory, especially if you solo on the same day as your mother--like Steve Poteet of Fort Worth, Texas. "It really is an awesome thing to share with her," said Poteet, 43. He watched his 64-year-old mother, Sylvia, solo on November 29, 2007, at Seymour Municipal Airport in Seymour, Texas, where she resides. "Then we hugged, high-fived, and I got in and did mine," he added.

Sylvia had loved airplanes since she was 9 years old, but she never had the opportunity to fly--that is, until her son partnered with a friend and purchased a Cessna 172. He brought his mother to the airport to see the airplane, and she was hooked. She is now a part-owner. Steve encouraged his mother to take lessons and coordinate their flying, even sharing an instructor.

About a month before the big day, the Poteets realized that it might be possible to solo at the same place on the same day, he said. Their flight instructor agreed they were both ready. "It was special to see her pursue a lifelong passion," said Poteet. "Taking her first solo flight was a major step toward that goal."--Kate Opalewski

AOPA sponsoring safety, career seminars at WAI

AOPA is sponsoring a safety seminar and a presentation for aspiring career pilots at Women in Aviation International's annual conference in San Diego, March 13 to 15.

Rod Machado will present an informative and humorous safety seminar, "Defensive Flying--Five Strategies to Keep You Safe in the Air," from 7:30 to 9 p.m. on Thursday, March 13. Machado is a columnist for AOPA Flight Training and AOPA Pilot magazines. The presentation is free and open to the public.

If you're thinking about launching a career as an airline pilot, don't miss Wayne Phillips' presentation, scheduled for 2:50 to 3:40 p.m. on Friday, March 14. Phillips is a contributing writer and Career Advisor columnist for AOPA Flight Training's Career Pilot section. You must register for the WAI conference in order to attend Phillips' presentation.

The conference will be held at the Town and Country Resort and Convention Center. For more information or to register, see the Women in Aviation International Web site.--Mike Collins

Comm1 awards aviation scholarship

Rebekah Bennett, 21, of Vista, California, has won the seventh annual Comm1 Aviation Scholarship. She received $1,000 toward tuition and flight training expenses, as well as a Comm1 VFR Radio Simulator CD-ROM training program. Bennett is enrolled in the aviation flight technology program at San Diego Christian College. A private pilot since June 2006, she is working on a flight instructor certificate and multiengine rating. For more information about Comm1's annual scholarship program, see the Web site.

School News

Illinois, Maryland schools to offer ATC training
Maryland's Community College of Baltimore County and Lewis University in Romeoville, Illinois, will provide air traffic controller training beginning this fall.

CBCC's aviation studies program offers associate of applied science degrees in air traffic control, flight management, and flight training, plus certificate programs in air traffic control, flight training, aviation management, and flight attendant.

Lewis University is located near some of the nation's busiest air traffic sectors, including the Chicago Air Route Traffic Control Center in Aurora and Chicago's Terminal Radar Approach Control in South Elgin, according to William Brogan, chairman of the department of aviation and transportation studies.

Daytona Beach flight school orders 10 SkyCatchers

Phoenix East Aviation Inc. in Daytona Beach, Florida, has ordered 10 Cessna 162 SkyCatchers for its training fleet. Scheduled for delivery in 2009, the SkyCatchers will be equipped for day and night VFR flight and will feature single Garmin G300 displays that will provide primary flight and engine information in a split-screen format. Phoenix East's fleet includes Cessna 172SPs, as well as a Diamond DA42 Twin Star and Piper Seneca multiengine aircraft.

What It Looks Like: Engine operating manual

By Mark Twombly

Every FAA-certified airplane has a pilot's operating handbook (POH) or airplane flight manual (AFM) that contains a description of the systems, instructions on normal and abnormal (emergency) procedures, and information on service and care for the machine. Did you know that the same sort of manual probably exists for the engine that powers the airplane you fly?

Most FAA-certified aircraft engines have an accompanying engine operator's manual that, while similar to a POH or AFM, focuses only on the engine and not the entire aircraft.

For example, the engine manual shown in the accompanying photo covers Lycoming's 360-series of four-cylinder, 361-cubic-inch engines ranging in horsepower from 168 to 205 and covering carbureted, fuel-injected, and turbocharged models. The introduction states that the manual "contains a description the engine, its specifications, and detailed information on how to operate and maintain it."

The manual has eight sections that include operating instructions, inspection and maintenance procedures, troubleshooting tips, installation and storage procedures, and performance tables.

The EOM contains a wealth of information not found in the POH. For example, in Section 3, Operating Instructions, detailed instructions are given on starting and cold-weather starting procedures, ground running and warm-up, ground checks, operating in flight, and shutdown procedures.

Section 6, Troubleshooting, is one you are not likely to find in the POH. It covers various problems such as failure to start, rough running, low power, and abnormal engine instrument indications, offering possible remedies to those problems.

If you find operating procedures in the POH that differ from those in the EOM, the basic rule is to go with the POH. That's because the aircraft manufacturer is responsible for installation of the engine as part of assembling the aircraft, and modifications may have been done to the engine or accessories. The POH should reflect any changes in engine specifications and operating procedures resulting from modifications by the aircraft manufacturer.

Final Exam

Final Exam is composed of questions similar to those a student may expect on the private pilot knowledge test. Answers are researched by members of the AOPA Pilot Information Center staff and may be found below.

1. The pitot system provides impact pressure for which instrument?
1. Altimeter.
2. Vertical speed indicator.
3. Airspeed indicator.
2. Which weather phenomenon is always associated with a thunderstorm?
1. Lightning.
2. Heavy rain.
3. Hail.
3. If a certificated pilot changes permanent mailing address and fails to notify the FAA Airmen Certification Branch of the new address, the pilot is entitled to exercise the privileges of the pilot certificate for a period of only
1. 30 days after the date of the move.
2. 60 days after the date of the move.
3. 90 days after the date of the move.
4. No person may operate an aircraft in acrobatic flight when
1. flight visibility is less than five miles.
2. over any congested area of a city, town, or settlement.
3. less than 2,500 feet agl.

Final Exam Answers

1. The correct answer is C. The airspeed indicator measures ram air pressure from the pitot tube, comparing it with static air pressure to display airspeed reading. Answers A and B are incorrect as they operate off the aircraft static system only.
2. The correct answer is A. The National Weather Service defines thunderstorm as "a local storm produced by a cumulonimbus cloud and accompanied by lightning and thunder." While associated with strong thunderstorms, hail is not always produced, and precipitation produced by a particular thunderstorm varies greatly.
3. The correct answer is A. According to FAR 61.60, an airman has 30 days from the date of the change to notify the FAA's Airman Certification Branch. After 30 days, the airman may no longer exercise the privileges of the certificate until the new address has been reported. This can be done in writing or at the FAA Web site.
4. The correct answer is B. FAR 91.303 prohibits aerobatic flight when over a congested area of city, town, or settlement. Aerobatic flight requires at least three miles of visibility, and the minimum altitude for aerobatic flight is 1,500 feet agl.

What's In AOPA Pilot?

Here's what you're missing if you don't read AOPA Pilot, the association's flagship magazine published each month for certificated pilots:

• Piper Matrix: Graduate Tool. For those seeking a step up from the typical high-performance single, Piper debuts the Matrix.
• 2008 Get Your Glass Sweepstakes. Bringing glass to the masses--introducing AOPA's 2008 sweepstakes project.
• Lessons from the Crash. Reflections on a TBM 700 accident that cost three lives.

Are you ready to read about more advanced subjects as these? Just as pilots upgrade to more advanced certificates, it might be time to upgrade your magazine. You can convert your paid membership to AOPA Pilot at any time by calling AOPA toll-free (800/USA-AOPA).